ASL and CART (captioning for hard-of-hearing and deaf attendees) provided at each Forum.

To all of you who donated to the Taxi Appeal - your support made organizing these Forums possible!

Access-A-Ride Fare Hikes UNCONSCIONABLE

Says Network in the Daily News

The Daily News reports that the MTA's proposed budget would DOUBLE the fare New Yorkers with disabilities pay to use Access-A-Ride, the shared ride paratransit service. Every week, about 25,000 riders use this service because they cannot use the largely inaccessible public transportation system.

In the article, Network Advocacy Director Lawrence Carter-Long called this prospect "unconscionable ... Access-A-Ride users by and large are at the bottom of the socioeconomic scale ... people with the least amount of money." More...

To keep up-to-date on how the economic crisis is affecting people with disabilities, subscribe to the Network's FREE LISTSERV! The Listserv disseminates valuable news and resources to NYC's disability community and beyond.

State Creates Incentive for Taxi Owners to Go Accessible

Starting in November, wheelchair accessible cabs can move to the front of the dispatch line at JFK Airport. This will create an economic incentive for taxi owners to buy accessible cabs and put them on the road. About 230 of NYC's 13,000 street-hail taxis are wheelchair accessible - fewer than 2%, but a TEN-FOLD increase over the number on the road in 2005. The Port Authority of NY & NJ will sponsor this pilot program.

The Disabilities Network has been working with Network Members like Taxis for All & Easter Seals and the Taxi & Limousine Commission (TLC) to get accessible cabs on the road and more accessible transit overall. Congratulations to all of you who have worked for this.

We commend the Port Authority, the TLC and other policymakers for supporting this important step forward!

Working for Greater Visibility for People with Disabilities in Media

If the issues of people with disabilities are to be understood, the nondisabled majority must be able to see and understand our stories. In the wake of nationwide controversy over the depiction of people with developmental disabilities in DreamWorks film Tropic Thunder (more on that here), this idea has been gaining momentum.

Building upon the success of our innovative disTHIS! Film Series, the Network has continued to lead the way in increasing media representation of people with disabilities. We:

Advised entertainment unions in the creation of the I AM PWD Campaign. This global initiative by the Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television & Radio ArtistsandActors’ Equity Association will promote media access, inclusion and equal employment for actors, broadcasters and sound recording artists with disabilities. It will launch in January in partnership with the civil rights community and the labor movement. I AM PWD will put the entertainment industry "on notice" and advocate for proportional representation of people with disabilities in media.

The Network is honored to announce that it has been selected to receive a 2008 Union Square Award. Established by an anonymous donor in 1998, the Union Square Awards recognize grassroots organizations that respond to pressing social issues in New York City.

The Disabilities Network and its founders were selected based on the organization's work to unite the physical, visual and hearing disability community to voice its concerns and have a place in public policymaking. Union Square Awardees have included innovative organizations working with immigrants, youth, low-income people and people with HIV. We are honored to join their ranks!